Japan & Korea – May 17, 2016

Today my official tour with All Japan Tour began.  The AJT representative was supposed to meet me (and the other tour people staying at this hotel) at 9:15 and was there only a little late because of traffic.  There are eight of us on the tour, a nice number.  Since the small bus would seat about 15 (although that number might be a bit uncomfortable), the eight of us with two guides had plenty of room.  Our guide is Hiroko, and Mark is serving as a guide-in-training.

The tour got off to a somewhat inauspicious start because it was raining; however, I was grateful to be traveling on a bus rather than managing by myself on public transportation and walking to see the sights.  As we left the Daibo area, we rode on the Rainbow Bridge, which I’ve been staring at out my hotel room window for several days; fun to be on it.

We first went to the Imperial Palace.  Only the park surrounding the palace grounds is available to the public.  There are hundreds of pine trees that have been planted.

It was definitely raining as all the visitors went up to the gate and looked in – the closest we could get to the Emperor and his family.

We then went to Asakusa Kannon Temple where I’d visited yesterday.  It was a bit less crowded, but since most people were carrying umbrellas, it was even more difficult to maneuver around.  I was very glad I’d had the opportunity to explore when it wasn’t raining.  The droplets of rain on the camera lens are apparent in this picture.

Because Hiroko could explain the process, I got my fortune. (I’d been intrigued the day before but couldn’t figure it out).  Having paid the 100 Yen price (a bit less than $1.00), one shakes a metal container until a stick comes out of the hole; the stick has a number on it.  One pulls out the drawer with that number on it and gets a paper with a fortune on it – clearly labeled as good or bad.  When it’s bad, as mine was, one is supposed to tie it onto the lines stretched out nearby because that will counter the bad fortune.  I pretended to tie mine on for picture purposes but wanted to keep it as a souvenir which I did.  Hiroko seemed genuinely upset that I would tempt bad fortune in that way; she really pressured me not to carry the bad fortune with me.

 

 

We walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch in which I encountered my first Japanese meal. We were served pre-ordered Bento Boxes.  Not unexpectedly, there was a lot of seafood -- which I gave away.  Fortunately there was enough I could eat that I had sufficient (rice is very filling).

Back to the bus, dodging puddles and umbrellas, and to the Edo Tokyo Museum.  This Museum presented the history of the city from the Edo period to the present.  It was interesting and fun with lots of models and some hands-on activities.

The final stop of the day was at the Tokyo Tower.  I wasn’t sure what the benefit might be of going to a tower for the view on a rainy day, but I did get some sense of the city – even if Mt. Fuji, which is occasionally visible, couldn’t be seen.  I was able to catch a glimpse of the Daibo neighborhood where our hotel is located by finding the Ferris Wheel located there (barely visible through the overcast).

I enjoyed the glass block on the floor through which one could see the metal structure of the Tokyo Tower and the street level parking lot.

Exhausted from a busy day of touring and having wet feet, bedtime came early.  Tomorrow we leave Tokyo for other places.